Ranking the below Top 10 Jimmy Bain Albums was quite a task. After all, when the bassist died on Jan. 24, 2016, he left an impressive, if often overlooked, career in hard rock and heavy metal.

A native of Scotland, Bain was born in the Highland village of Newtontown on Dec. 19, 1947. He started performing in local bands as a teen and built a diverse resume with regional favorites like Street Noise and Harlot. Bain's big break finally arrived with a 1976 invite to join Rainbow, after which his musical talent, friendly temperament and hard-partying stamina made the bassist a music scene fixture.

Bain would go on to build a kind of heavy-rock sidebar, collaborating with the likes of Dio, Wild Horses, Gary Moore and, in what became his final high profile project, Last in Line. (He was also co-writer with Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell of the song “Stars,” made famous by Hear ‘n Aid, the celebrity famine relief project.)

But which studio project ranks highest? Click through the below gallery for our thoughts on the Top 10 Jimmy Bain Albums.

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